Category: District News
School supply lists for 2023-2024
Fort Plain mourns the passing of Cheryl Ann Phillips
Fort Plain Central School District mourns the passing of Cheryl Ann Phillips, a longtime supporter of the Fort Plain community and member of our teaching staff.
Most recently, Mrs. Phillips had worked as a Speech Therapist, a position she held for over 25 years.
“Mrs. Phillips had a true love for the Fort Plain community and an unwavering sense of Topper Pride. She worked tirelessly behind the scenes supporting and loving not only her own children but many other student athletes who became family. She supported her husband while he more publicly helped an endless number of student athletes obtain otherwise unobtainable goals,” reads a tribute, in part, to Cheryl Ann Phillips.
View the tribute to Mrs. Phillips and learn about her many interests and life experiences.
Our thoughts are with her family and friends.
Fort Plain mourns the passing of Vera Phillips Croote
Fort Plain Central School District mourns the passing of Vera Phillips Croote, a longtime member of our teaching staff, who taught in our elementary school program from 1950-1983.
Our thoughts are with her family and friends.
View the tribute to Mrs. Phillips Croote and learn about her many interests and life experiences.
Fort Plain mourns the passing of Robert Jenks
Fort Plain Central School District mourns the passing of Robert Jenks, a cleaner in our schools from 2007-2012. He retired after five years in service of the district.
Our thoughts are with his family and friends.
View the full tribute to Mr. Jenks, including details about his life experiences and interests.
Free school backpacks available at Harry Hoag
Again this school year, free backpacks filled with school supplies are available for Fort Plain students.
The packs are available at the main office of Harry Hoag Elementary School, Monday, Aug. 28 through Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023 between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Thank you to area business Hill & Markes for their generous donation of these colorful packs and supplies.
Principal Jodi Coppolo’s 2023 – 24 Pre-K Welcome Letter
August 2023
Welcome Families!
Harry Hoag is very excited to welcome your children as members of our Prekindergarten Program! Our program aims to support the students to develop school readiness skills. Your child will be in an environment that is supportive, nurturing and rich in hands-on learning opportunities.
Preparing your child for a successful start to school:
1. Please be sure to establish a reasonable bedtime routine the last week of August.
2. Establish a place where he/she can be responsible to store a backpack daily.
3. Develop a routine to check for notes, papers, and communications daily.
The first day of school for the Prekindergarten Program is Thursday, September 7, 2023.
We will host a Prekindergarten Visitation Day on September 6, 2023. The visitation is meant to be a casual experience and typically lasts about 15 minutes. During the visitation, students can drop off their school supplies, view the classroom and meet the teacher.
Students with last names beginning with the letters A-K are invited to visit anytime between 9-9:30 a.m. Students with last names beginning with the letters L-Z are invited to visit anytime from 9:30-10 a.m.
Harry Hoag School Day
7:30 -7:40 a.m. — Bus drop off
7:30 -7:40 a.m. — Parent drop off and walkers are welcome
7:50 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. — Instructional day
2:30 p.m. — Bus dismissal only
2:35 p.m. — Parent pick up begins
Again this year, parents will be asked to stay in their vehicles. A traffic enforcer will manage traffic flow through the bus loop to the main entry. If you are early for Drop Off or Parent Pick Up, please park in Wiles Park.
For Parent Drop Off and Pick Up, please remain in your car. A staff member will greet you at both times. If you pick up your child on foot, please also report to the Main Entry.
Transportation to and from school will be provided by the school bus for any students who are 4 years of age. If your child begins the school year as a 3 year old, he/she must be transported by an adult until he/she comes of age to be eligible to ride the bus per New York State Law.
Please be sure to watch the website (fortplain.org) for information related to safety and wellness procedures for the upcoming school year.
Supply List
Please label personal items with your child’s name such as the clothes, blanket and backpack.
- Backpack
- Blanket
- Change of clothes
- Optional items to donate to the classroom: Kleenex, gallon Ziploc bags and paper towels, glue sticks, folder.
I look forward to meeting our youngest learners soon! Enjoy the rest of the summer!
Proud to be your principal,
Jodi Coppolo
Harry Hoag Principal Jodi Coppolo’s 2023 – 24 Welcome Letter
Greetings Families of Harry Hoag Elementary,
It is that time of year, where we begin to think about the start of a new school year! I would like to welcome new and returning families back to Harry Hoag. Let’s gear up to have a blast this school year. We look forward to providing our students with an enriching experience learning new things.
Students will be provided with the support they need to help them reach their fullest potential.
A ParentSquare was sent out a few weeks ago regarding the review of our policies. Attached was an electronic signature link, this would allow you to sign necessary forms online. Please read these over and complete the signature portion as soon as possible. Below is information regarding procedure here at Harry Hoag.
Harry Hoag School Day
- 7:30-7:40 a.m. — Bus drop off only
- 7:30-7:40 a.m. — Parent drop off and walkers are welcome
- 7:50 a.m.-2:30 p.m. — Instructional day
- 2:30 p.m. — Bus dismissal only
- 2:35 p.m. — Parent pick up begins
Fifth and Sixth Grade
Fifth and sixth grades at Harry Hoag Elementary use a departmentalized model to provide instruction. Homeroom groups travel to different classrooms to receive instruction in the core subjects each school day.
The following welcome letters from Harry Hoag Elementary School Principal Jodi Coppolo include grade-level information for fifth and sixth grade:
View the Fifth Grade Welcome Letter from Principal Coppolo
View the Sixth Grade Welcome Letter from Principal Coppolo
Use of School Transportation
Please be sure to review the Ride with Pride and Code of Conduct documents with your children before the first day of school.
Self -Transportation
A traffic enforcer will manage traffic flow through the bus loop to the main entry. If you are early for Drop Off or Parent Pick Up, please park in Wiles Park. For Parent Drop Off and Pick Up, please remain in your car. A staff member will greet you at both times. If you pick up your child on foot, please report to the Main Entry.
Technology
Students in PK – Kindergarten will be offered an iPad to use for the school year. Students in Grades 1-6 will be offered a Chromebook to use for the school year. Older students will be able to bring their devices to and from school per their teacher’s directions. Caregivers and students (Gr 1 and above) will be asked to sign a Technology User Agreement.
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
Teachers will escort Parent Pick Up students to the library. All others will be escorted to the buses. After the buses depart, Parent Pick Up will begin.
We kindly request that you update any forms related to your child’s residency and/or health needs. A demographics form has been mailed out. We appreciate any effort to return updated forms to the Main Office as soon as possible, upon students returning in September.
To stay abreast of all that is taking place at Harry Hoag, please be sure to have an updated cell phone number and email address to receive information via our ParentSquare messaging system. Also, remember to visit our website and social media platforms regularly for current news and
upcoming events.
I am honored to continue to serve as the building principal. It is wonderful to be a part of a community where students, teachers, and families care for each other and strive to build meaningful relationships that support academic and social-emotional growth.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel to reach me in the Main Office at (518) 993-4000 ext. 3059 or via email at jodi.coppolo@fortplain.org.
Hilltoppers—let’s make it a fantastic year!
Jodi Coppolo
Welcome Deputy Nicholas Manginelli—Fort Plain’s new school resource officer
Beginning this September, Deputy Nicholas Manginelli of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office will be joining the Fort Plain Central School District team as our new school resource officer (SRO).
Deputy Manginelli is already a familiar presence in our schools and for many of our students—having led our on-campus D.A.R.E. program for sixth graders the last two school years.
In this new role, Deputy Manginelli will be on-campus each school day, from arrival to dismissal. He will spend his days visiting our schools and classrooms, getting to know our students and staff and offering an extra layer of watchfulness and support. In the event of an incident that requires law enforcement intervention, Deputy Manginelli will be ready to assist as a first responder and be an on-campus connection to the sheriff’s office and others.
The school district has contracted with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office for this service for the 2023-24 school year.
What is a school resource officer (SRO)?
The primary focus of the school resource officer program is to enhance the safety and security of the learning environment for students, staff, visitors and others in our school community.
Having a regular law enforcement presence in our schools will give our students the opportunity to learn first-hand about the work of law enforcement officers and get to know them as friendly and helpful community partners.
In this role, Deputy Manginelli will also be available for administrators, staff and students to assist in defusing and solving problems before they negatively impact the learning environment or the health, safety and welfare of the students and staff.
Deputy Manginelli has been specially trained for this role of school resource officer.
“Having Deputy Manginelli as part of the Fort Plain Central School district team will support us in our goal of providing a safe and welcoming learning environment across our campus and building important community connections. We are excited for this new partnership and looking forward to working together with Deputy Manginelli for the safety of our schools and students,” said District Superintendent Lauren Crisman.
“I am looking forward to this new role and being able to connect with kids and making sure they feel safe at school so they can learn and have fun there, too,” added Deputy Manginelli.
About Deputy Nicholas Manginelli
Deputy Nicholas Manginelli is a life-long resident of Montgomery County. He grew up in Fonda and graduated from the Fonda-Fultonville Central School District.
Deputy Manginelli attended Fulton Montgomery Community College and holds a degree in criminal justice. He has worked in law enforcement since 2009, first as a corrections officer and, since 2013, as a deputy with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
Along with his work as a law enforcement officer, Deputy Manginelli is an active member of his community and volunteers as a coach for many local youth sport teams.
Asked why he chose to become a law enforcement officer, Deputy Manginelli answered “to help people.”
“I was a Boy Scout and an Eagle Scout and this is something I was always taught by my family to do. This is important to me,” Deputy Manginelli said.
Regular board meeting, safety plan hearing on Aug. 16
The Fort Plain Board of Education will hold a regular meeting on Aug. 16, 2023 at 7 p.m. and a public hearing regarding the District Wide Safety Plan for 2023-24. This meeting will take place in the Ronald H. Thibodeau Conference Room in the District Office, 25 High Street, Fort Plain, N.Y.
The District Wide Safety Plan is a general plan filed each year by the school district that outlines its response to emergencies. This is an annual requirement.
The public hearing offers school personnel, parents, students and any other interested parties the opportunity to comment on the District Wide Safety Plan prior to its adoption.
View the regular board meeting agenda and a copy of the draft 2022-23 Fort Plain Central CSD District Wide Safety Plan. If you are unable to access the pdf of the draft plan or have questions, please contact Becky Smith, Secretary to the Superintendent/District Clerk, 518-993-4000 ext. 1000.
Healthy Kids Programs at Harry Hoag Elementary beginning Fall 2023
Fort Plain Central School District is excited to announce its partnership with Healthy Kids Programs for the 2023-24 school year.
After School Coming Fall 2023—Registration Now Open
Ages: K-12 Years
After School: Pick up as late as 5 p.m.
Join Healthy Kids For A Virtual Open House
Healthy Kids will go over they are and what their programs offer, tuition assistance qualifications and how to apply, and then open it up to any questions families may have.
Dates: Aug. 15, Aug. 22, Aug. 29, Sept. 7 and Sept. 12, 2023
Visit the Healthy Kids website for more information.
View a flyer about the 2023-24 Healthy Kids program at Harry Hoag Elementary.